You Don't Have To Go To Outback

Fall is the time to plant blooming onions -- also known as spring- and summer-flowering alliums -- in your own backyard

Daffodils are dependable, and tulips are tempting, but alliums are awesome. These decorative flowering onions -- sometimes called ornamental garlic -- have a name that conveys their bulbous nature and slightly strong fragrance. Their puffball-like flowers add a touch of whimsy to any garden, including container-planted ones.

There's even a famous allium in our midst -- the Yorktown Onion, which produces deep wine-purple flower heads on the end of 3-foot-tall stems in June and July. This special onion came to the United States in animal feed or crop seed during colonial times. The plant is native to Russia, having made its way to Britain and then here. It's illegal to gather or collect the Yorktown Onion, which also flourishes in Alleghany and Rockbridge counties.

There are, however, lots of legal alliums to sprinkle throughout your yard. Fall is the time to plant flowering onion for purple, pink, white or yellow blooms that arrive late spring to early summer. The fall catalog from Brent and Becky Heath's bulb farm in Gloucester features about 25 varieties, some with flowers that mimic the size of a softball. Others are no bigger than a quarter.

There are other benefits to using alliums in your yard. Deer and squirrels dislike the bulbs. You can cut stems for fresh floral arrangements or dry them for use in fall wreaths. During the holidays, the flower heads can be sprayed gold or silver and tucked into the branches of your Christmas tree, says Ann Weber, perennials specialist at Smithfield Gardens in Suffolk.

All in all, alliums are the perfect companions to other plants in your yard, she says.

"The round heads provide a nice contrast to other flowering perennials, usually panicles and spikes," says Weber. "The purple color contrasts nicely with several daylilies -- yellows, oranges and pinks. Tall alliums are architectural and draw your eye upward."

Here are a few types of alliums to plant in your yard, all available at local garden centers or through mail-order catalogs.

ALL ABOUT ALLIUM

Common name: Flowering onion

Botanical name: Allium, member of Liliaceae family

Description: Bulb with slightly strong scent; flowers typically purple and pinkish-purple but there are white and yellow flowering types.

Planting time: Fall

Flowering time: Late spring through early summer

Likes: Sandy, even rocky soil with full to partial sun

Dislikes: Too much moisture

Uses: Plant in loose clusters of odd numbers, such as three to five to seven for visual drama; space them generously, because they multiply over time.

About bulbs: Brent Heath of Brent and Becky's Bulbs in Gloucester gives a workshop on how to use bulbs in container gardens during a workshop Oct. 21 at Ken Matthews Garden Center in York County. Cost is $35, includes pot, soil and bulbs to layer and take home. Register in advance by calling 898-7799.

About Allium: Visit the Netherlands Flower Bulb Information Center at www.bulb.com. Learn about the Yorktown Onion at www.yorkcounty.gov/vce/proga reas/hort/hortpubs.htm.